Jamie Longbottom and the Lost Castle
by Dobby's Socks
Summary: 17 years have passed since Harry Potter disappeared from the world. When Jamie Longbottom and his brother Albus accidentally travel to the occupied UK they enroll in Hogwarts, hoping to obtain help from its residents in returning home. Hogwarts, though, is far stranger than they knew, and it only becomes stranger when a young blonde man emerges from the Forbidden Forest... AU
1. Chapter 1

**I was pretty bored the other day during work, so I started writing this story… and well this is what happened. I don't know if anyone will be interested in this, but I personally don't see why there's only two Howl's Moving Castle and Harry Potter crossovers. They're both about wizards! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this. Let me know if you think this should continue!**

**Dobby's Imaginary Sock**

**Story Title**

**Chapter One:**

**The Seventeen Year Gap**

James really liked it when his Uncle George told him stories. Every afternoon after he finished tinkering with whatever new product he was working on (recently it had been a Jawed Jump Rope- the cousin of the Fanged Frisbee) he would sit down on the front porch and tell the most wonderful stories about his days in school. Uncle George knew how to word a phrase so that James, his brother Albus, and their other cousins would huddle together in fear or roll on the ground laughing. He was almost convinced that Uncle George must use magic to capture their imaginations, but his mother said that his uncle had always been that way.  
Today's story was about the Chamber of Secrets.  
"So there I was, sitting in McGonagall's office just waiting for Professor Dumbledore to do something," said Uncle George. His hands were held out in front of him, flexed, and his shoulders hunched forward. James saw Albus lean in closer to his uncle, eyes alight in excitement. "He finished talking to my parents, and then he was about to start twiddling his thumbs. I was so mad! I couldn't believe that Professor Dumbledore would just sit there instead of ordering an immediate search of the castle. I mean, your mum was down in the Chamber of Secrets with a monster!"  
James shivered involuntarily. He'd heard this story hundreds of times already, but it still gave him the chills every time he heard about just how close his mum had been to dying.  
"Suddenly, the door to the office swung open and there stood your mum, Gilderoy Lockhart, Ron, and Harry! Your grandmum started crying- I think Dad did as well. A red and gold bird flew off of Harry's shoulder and landed on the desk by Professor Dumbledore. Apparently he knew that Harry and Ron had found the chamber and sent Fawkes- his phoenix- to help them. They were all pretty wet seeing as they'd come out of a bathroom pipe. Harry, however, was covered in blood just like those pictures you see of the Muggle gladiators. I thought McGonagall was going to faint! She turned so pale when she saw Harry walk forward with the sword of Godric Gryffindor and the Sorting Hat. He just laid them on the desk like he had borrowed them! And do you know what Dumbledore did then?"  
"What?" asked his cousin Louis.  
"He went into this long speech about how many rules Harry and Ron had broken in the past few hours!" exclaimed Uncle George, swinging his arms open. His face was the painting of complete comical disbelief. Everyone began to laugh. "I mean, Harry had just slain the most evil creature residing in the walls of the school- not including either of the Malfoys- and he wanted to talk about regulations?! It was completely ridiculous! Of course, Harry and Ron got off with only a mild warning, some added house points, and special awards to the school. There was this huge feast afterwards with all the sugary treats you could ever think of- this was at two in the morning, mind you. We needed something to keep us all awake. Everyone came down in their pajamas and celebrated as those who had been petrified were returned to normal. I think Uncle Percy was especially glad when the Ravenclaw Prefect Penelope Clearwater came into the hall. Don't tell him that I told you that though. He'd have my head for that one. Hagrid even came back from Azkaban! And so, Harry Potter once again saved Hogwarts."  
James, Albus, and his cousins clapped loudly as Uncle George took a bow. It truly was a good story. There was, however, one story that James wanted to hear even more...  
"Uncle George," began James tentatively.  
"Yes?" asked his Uncle, spinning to face the red-haired boy.  
"I was wondering- I don't mean to be rude, but-"  
Uncle George laughed at his suddenly timid nephew. "Just say it, Jamie!"  
"Well, what really happened to Harry?" inquired James. He immediately regretted asking the question, for Uncle George's face fell from his usual charming grin to a straight line, a sad line. He now truly looked like he was thirty-six years old. His cousins began to mutter things behind his back like 'nice going, Jamie' or 'how about you pour more lemon juice over open wounds'.  
Uncle George sighed and sat down. "No one really knows, Jamie," replied Uncle George. "If Ron wouldn't mind telling you, then he'd be the best one to ask."  
"But he's never around long enough!" pleaded James. His brown eyes looked up at his uncle desperately. "Please, Uncle George!"  
"Well..." trailed Uncle George. His nieces and nephews all leaned in curiously. "From what I know, Harry disappeared after the fight at Malfoy Manor."  
"But wasn't he with Uncle Ron and Hermione?" asked his cousin Dominique.  
"Yes," stated Uncle George, nodding his head, "but they became separated in the fight. Ron got over to where Hermione was on the ground with Dobby and Griphook close behind him. He said that Malfoy hit Harry with some kind of a curse, but before he could go help him, Dobby apparated away. Of course, Dobby went right back to get Harry, but when he got to Malfoy Manor... Harry was gone."  
"He died?" inquired Louis.  
"No," said Uncle George firmly. "Voldemort would have broadcasted it to the whole world if Harry had died. All we know is that he disappeared. No one has seen Harry since then."

oOo

James went into town later that afternoon with Albus. He liked his little brother but at the same time hated him. James looked down at his brother. It was annoying how similar he and Albus looked. If it were not for the fact that James was several inches taller, people would say they were twins. Both of them had their mother's flaming red Weasley hair and freckled faces. He had longer spidery limbs that caused him to trip often. Albus, being a bit more compact, was very graceful in comparison to James. His mum wouldn't let him go anywhere without Albus or vice versa. It was probably because she was afraid they'd get kidnapped by Death Eaters or something crazy like that. Uncle Fred had told him that the war had made their mum somewhat neurotic.  
Sure, the Death Eaters had control of all of England and were slowly making little enclaves in other countries. They had not, however, been able to set foot in France. This little beacon in the dark world of magic was all thanks to the Order of the Phoenix. Two years after Harry had disappeared at Malfoy Manor, the Order had retreated to mainland Europe. There had been some big battle in the English Canal, but the Order managed to survive somehow.

They arrived there on invitation from the French Ministry. If there was one thing that the French Ministry was terrified of then it was You-Know-Who. The French decided they would rather deal with finding housing and jobs for a couple hundred refugees willing to fight the Death Eaters for the French Ministry than to run the risk of You-Know-Who taking them down, too. His mother said it was all a game of politics.  
It was because of the Death Eaters and their stupid war that he couldn't go anywhere by himself and that he was a permanent house guest at Shell Cottage. His parents had never completely settled down themselves, being much too involved in the Order. Sure, his dad Neville had married his mum and they'd started a family, but they never got to the part of having an occupation, applying for citizenship, or buying their own home. James didn't mind these things too much, for to him there was a more pressing matter.  
The thing that really bothered James Frank Longbottom was that he couldn't go to school. He was twelve years old, and he still had yet to sit in a classroom and learn spells like the rest of his peers. Uncle Bill and Uncle Percy's kids all attended Beauxbatton Academy. James didn't really want to go there. For starters his French was dreadful at best, and his uncles Fred, George, and Ron just didn't seem to respect the academy. Grandma Weasley would chide them for this often, muttering that they should be mature enough not to laugh at a name like Beauxbatton. James' dream was to attend the Hogwarts of his parents' youth. Hogwarts had been an exciting school full of friends and magic in the halls at that time. There were always adventures to be had within its stone walls, and you had complete freedom to pursue these wild journeys. If he could only go to the Hogwarts of back then he would really be able to learn magic instead of the brief interrupted private lessons from various members of the Order of the Phoenix. James would then show him that he could be a hero just like Harry.  
Harry Potter was James' inspiration. He had saved Hogwarts and the entire Wizarding World so many times before. James was certain that Harry would save them all again. He just wished The Chosen One would hurry it up a bit. It had certainly been a long seventeen years for the Wizarding World.  
"What did mum want us to get again?" asked Albus.  
James broke out of his thoughts by tripping over a tiny rock in the road. After he stopped stumbling, he replied, "She wanted some Essence of Dittany and a new self-boiling kettle. Dad burned out the bottom again."  
"Uncle Fred asked you something before we left," said Albus. "What was it?"  
"Uncle George and him need another Fanged Frisbee to experiment with," responded James. "The last one got away."  
"Oh." They walked in silence for a while. The little town below came into view. James could honestly say that he knew the entire place like the back of his hand. He'd lived here his entire life, and it was the only place he had ever been to besides his grandparents' house next to Shell Cottage and... well, Shell Cottage. The village was an adventure compared to those two places. "Where are we going to find the frisbee?" inquired Albus. "Mum told us to go to Strange Selwyn's Shop directly. He doesn't have Fanged Frisbees. All he has got is magic junk!"  
"It isn't junk," retorted James. "It's just already used magical items, Al. He's the only supplier that the French Ministry has out here."  
"What good is it?" questioned Albus. "We're out here in the middle of nowhere losing a war that keeps us locked inside all day, and we can't even buy a properly functioning kettle. It just seems like all this magic stuff is more trouble than it's worth."  
"Al!" shouted James. He was very angry now. "Stop complaining about a little kettle! First off, you're not supposed to talk about magic outside. Second, if we don't use magic, then the Death Eaters will win. Third, if they win, then everyone dies! Magic is only troublesome because of the stupid Death Eaters."  
"I hate them," muttered his brother. He clenched his fists and looked down at the ground. "I wanted to go to school this year."  
"So did I," stated James. He reached out to pat his brother on the head as a sign of comfort, but decided against it. James had a bad record when it came to comforting others. Last week when he'd tried to comfort Louis his cousin had somehow taken offense. Louis had then stomped on James' foot, and climbed up a tree, and refused to come down for three hours. He didn't want to repeat that now. "We just have to keep believing that Uncle Ron and Hermione will find Harry."  
They reached the village and stopped talking about magical things. There were a lot of Wizarding families that had fled with the Order that lived in this village, but there were more Muggle families. That's why there was a blanket order of no flying in the area, and magical families kept their blinds shut at all times. Strange Selwyn's Shoppe was on the other side of town, so James took his time wandering aimlessly through the narrow empty streets of the town. They weren't in a rush to go home, and frankly he didn't want to return just yet. He almost didn't notice that Albus had stopped walking.  
"Al, come on!" he called. James turned to look at his brother.  
"Look at this shop, Jamie," said Albus. His mouth hung open as he looked in the dusty display window. The little stone cottage was rather old looking compared to the other buildings around it. Inside the many murky panes of the display window James could see many intriguing trinkets such as a compass, an old sewing machine, a Muggle cork gun, and nibbling on the purple silk cloth under all of these objects was...  
"A Fanged Frisbee," breathed James. He couldn't believe they had actually found one, especially since they had not reached Strange Selwyn's Shoppe yet. James craned his neck up to look at the painted wooden sign hanging over the door. "Caspari's Uncommon Market: Bringing you knick-knacks since 1652? I'm not sure this town is even that old."  
"Well, we can tell Uncle Fred where to get it when we see him next," stated Albus. "Let's go."  
"Wait, Al," replied James. His brother stopped walking and looked at him with inquisitive brown eyes. "I'm going into the shop to buy it."  
"But Mom said-"  
"What she doesn't know can't hurt her," retorted James. "We'll just say we happened to find it among the odd pieces at Strange Selwyn's Shoppe. I promise we'll go directly there and back after I buy the frisbee."  
"We're going to be in so much trouble," groaned Albus. James led his brother into the store.  
The only words he could think of to describe the place was as a beautiful mess. Every wall was lined with items of various sizes and shapes. Some things looked like they could have come out of a treasure trove, like the golden scepter leaning up against an old cupboard. Other things obviously were junk like the bin of neon colored kazoos on the front counter. Albus walked over to a crate holding various metal what-nots and began playing with a slide whistle. James looked around to see if there was someone around who could help them.  
That's when he noticed the girl at the counter. She had long blonde straight hair that reminded him of his Aunt Fleur. On the other hand, her ears each contained at least two piercings like Uncle Bill. He started to get the vibe that the girl must be somewhat wild- the same kind of wild spirit in his Uncle Fred and Uncle George. The girl appeared to be in her late teens. Her age, however, was not keeping her from taking an afternoon nap on the counter. She was slumped over with her head on top of a thick book.  
"Um... excuse me?" asked James, inching closer and closer to the sleeping girl.  
"Yes," said the girl. She didn't even look up or crack open an eye.  
"I am interested in the frisbee in the front window," said James.  
The girl finally cracked a baby blue eye open. "Does it have to be that specific one? There's a whole bin of them by the front door."  
"Um..." trailed James. He looked at the bin by the front door. All the frisbees there appeared to be the normal Muggle toy. "I kind of need it to be-"  
"Oh!" exclaimed the girl loudly. James jumped back in surprise. Somewhere in the shop he heard is brother jump as well and drop the slide whistle. She sat up and smacked the heel of her palm against her forehead. "You want a Fanged Frisbee!"  
"Yes," replied James. He was relieved that the girl finally knew what he was talking about.  
"Well in that case, you want the box on the other side of the window," stated the girl. She began twirling a long strand of blonde hair around her pointer finger. "Those ones are a bit younger. Be careful to bear your teeth first, otherwise they'll bite you."  
"Okay," he responded. He walked over to the specified box, and sure enough it was full of Fanged Frisbees. He opened his mouth wide, showing off all his teeth to a green one on the top of the pile and then picked it up. On his way back to the front counter he found his brother staring at a bookshelf.  
"James, look at this," stated Albus. He was about to point something else when the front door opened again. A little brown haired girl walked tentatively inside, much like they had.  
The girl at the counter looked down at the new customer and smiled. "Anything I can do for you, Miss?" she asked.  
"I-I-I heard that t-this shop s-s-sells medicine," stammered the girl. She scuffed her brown shoes against the wooden floor.  
"We do. Would you like Advil, Tylenol-"  
The little girl looked up with tears in her eyes. "Papa has been very sick for the last week," she sniffed. "The doctors don't know what's wrong with him. One of my friends said that you might be able to help. She said this store is m-m-m-magical."  
The blonde girl behind the counter gave the little brown-haired girl a long, hard look. "That's Granny's area of expertise. Would you like me to call her?" she inquired.  
"Yes, please," said the little girl.  
"Granny!" shouted the blonde girl.  
A very short wizened-looking old woman came out of a door behind the counter. James couldn't even see her behind it. A couple seconds later she climbed a step ladder so that the top half of her body was visible. She wore a tiny, navy-colored long-sleeved dress with a white babushka shawl tied tightly around her face. The old woman looked down her pointed nose at the little girl. "You would like some medicine, I presume?" questioned the woman in a gravelly medium-pitched voice.  
"Y-yes," replied the little girl.  
"Could you describe the symptoms," stated the woman.  
"Well, he has a terrible rash on the left side of his body, a bad cough, and the whites of his eyes are bloodshot and a bit off color," explained the little girl.  
"Does he have a fever?" inquired the old woman.  
"No."  
"Do you have a garden in the front yard?" asked the blonde girl. She leaned forward on the counter and rested her chin on her right palm.  
"Yes."  
"Does it have a fence?" questioned the old woman.  
"N-no."  
"Do you grow sugar beets?" inquired the blonde girl. James was having trouble seeing the point of this conversation. He couldn't fathom how this dealt with any sort of a disease.  
"We do," responded the little girl.  
"Sounds like a Snorkack allergy, Granny," said the blonde girl, turning to look at the old woman.  
"I thought I saw some the other day," mused the old woman. She hopped off the step ladder and scuttled into the back room. Moments later she returned with a brown glass bottle and an orange thing resembling a wind chime. "Hang this charm outside your house, preferably the side closest to the garden. Give your father three drops of the medicine at dinner for the next week. This should make the rash disappear and the charm will scare away the Snorkacks. I'd suggest building a fence around your garden in the near future. Then they won't want to graze on your sugar beets."  
"What's a Snorkack?" asked the little girl, tilting her head to the side.  
"They're just misunderstood creatures," explained the blonde girl. She placed the charm and the medicine in a bag and gave it to the little girl. "That'll be 6,79 Euro."  
The girl placed her money on the counter and after she received her change she ran out the door. "Thank you!" she called out before running home.  
Albus looked like he couldn't believe what he had just seen. "Did you just give a potion to a Muggle?" he questioned.  
"Maybe I did. So what?" inquired the blonde girl.  
James felt all the color leave his face. "But that's against the law," he stated.  
"Depriving medical treatment from people with Snorkack allergies should be the real crime," explained the blonde girl. "Besides I never _said_ it was a potion, therefore it is medicine."  
James felt something else bothering him. "How come I've never heard of this place if it's a magic shop?" he asked.  
"It's because you've probably only gone shopping with your parents," replied the old woman. "You're one of the British wizards, no?"  
"Ooh," tittered the blonde girl, "you're one of those people who buys everything from Strange Stinky Selwyn."  
"He doesn't stink!" protested Albus. James couldn't figure out why Albus was defending Selwyn all of a sudden. Albus hated Selwyn, and the man did in fact stink. It was probably because of all the dead dungbeetles he kept with the old rotten dungbombs.  
"Does too," retorted the blonde girl. The old woman cuffed her upside the head. "Ow!"  
"Is there anything else you're looking for, dears?" the old woman inquired.  
"No," muttered Albus, looking at the door. His brother was obviously ready to leave already. James had other ideas, though.  
"Actually," said James. "We were looking for Essence of Dittany and a self-stirring kettle."  
"You were going to buy that stuff from Selwyn?" asked the blonde girl. She chuckled a bit. "That sneak waters down his dittany."  
"I knew it," mumbled James darkly. He'd always had suspicions, but to have someone else voice them (even if they were Selwyn's competition) made him more certain that the junk dealer was a conning them.  
"He also wouldn't know a good kettle if he saw one," continued the blonde girl. She walked around the counter and wove through the shelves. The girl stopped at the shelf where he and his brother stood and reached for a bottle on the bottom shelf. "Here's Essence of Dittany. Would you like a copper, silver, brass, or steel kettle?"

oOo

About half an hour later they arrived home with the frisbee, the Essence of Dittany, and a new brass kettle. It turned out to cost the same as it would at Stange Selwyn's Shoppe. James was quite pleased with this find. Albus, on the other hand, kept muttering about how much trouble they'd be in if their mum found out they hadn't even gone to Selwyn's. His brother could be such a stickler when it came to their mother's rules.  
When they arrived home they were pleasantly surprised to see Teddy on the front porch talking to their cousin Victoire. Teddy Lupin was the oldest of the three Lupin siblings. Emmeline and Alastor were closer to their age, but Teddy had always been the coolest. For James it was like having a big brother. Albus and he shouted at Teddy and ran up to the seventeen year old boy.  
"Albus! James!" exclaimed Teddy. His hair turned a bright shade of red to match their hair and Victoire. "It's been a long time!"  
"Only two weeks," protested Albus. "You live two hills away from us! What are you doing here?"  
"Well, my family came over as soon as we heard that Ron and Hermione were here-"  
"Uncle Ron?!" James and Albus both gasped.  
"I told you they'd react like that," laughed Victoire, rocking back and forth on her bare feet.  
"Where is he?" asked James.  
"He's over at your grandparents' house," replied Teddy. James and Albus put the kettle and the Essence of Dittany down of the front porch.  
"Victoire, could you give those to our mom? Okay thanks bye!" called James. He and Albus ran around the house, through the garden, and over the top of the cliff behind the house towards their grandparents' house. It wasn't every day that Uncle Ron and Hermione came to visit.

**Well, that's chapter one. What do you guys think? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, another chapter! Thanks to BlackPanther101 for reviewing this story! I also want to thank everyone who added this story to their Favorite and/or Alert list!**

**Dobby's Imaginary Sock**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Series or the movie or book rights to Howl's Moving Castle.**

**Chapter Two**

All of his other cousins already stood around Uncle Ron and Hermione by the time James and his brother arrived. The two travelers looked tired, but large smiles graced both of their faces. Hermione held on to Uncle Percy's youngest daughter, Molly. Molly played with Hermione's long, bushy, curly brown hair. Dominique always said that it was Hermione's hair that made her look like a fairy princess. James had to admit it was her most distinguishing feature considering the number of redheads in the family.

Uncle Ron was a tall, fit man with shoulder-length red hair. It had grown a bit shaggy over the past few months, so it would be a surprise if Grandma Weasley didn't try to hack it off while his uncle wasn't paying attention. That would be a real shame. In James' opinion, there was nobody cooler than Uncle Ron.

Hermione and his uncle spent all of their free time on missions for the Order of the Phoenix or looking for their friend, the famous missing wizard Harry Potter. They would have been cool even if they were not looking for Harry, for hardly anyone in the Order saw more battles than his Uncle Ron and Hermione. Oftentimes they would take top secret missions that would take them deep into enemy territory. Despite the dangers, they always made it back alive much to the relief of his grandparents and the other Order Members. Uncle Ron and Hermione could have chosen to take up positions as Aurors for the French Ministry, but both of them refused since it would limit their freedom of movement. James thought that was very heroic. He could only hope that he would grow up to be as cool as Uncle Ron.

"James! Albus!" called out his uncle when he spotted his two approaching nephews. He wrapped two muscular arms around them in a bear hug. "How are my two favorite rascals?"

"But I thought I was a rascal!" protested Alastor.

Dominique rolled her eyes. "You don't cause half the trouble that James and Albus do," she said. "Don't start getting any ideas, though."

"We're great!" chirped Albus.

"Fantastic!" agreed James. "How was your journey?"

Uncle Ron grinned and whispered conspiringly to the two of them. "It went well, but I think I better wait until Grandma Weasley goes to bed before I tell you guys any stories."

Albus' eyes lit up. "I can't wait!" he exclaimed.

Grandma Weasley stuck her head out the front window of her house. It was a sprawling split-level home- two floors in some places and one floor in others- with each part made of different materials. Grandpa Weasley had found the place not too long after the Order had fled to France. It took some cleaning up, but soon the place became habitable. Uncle Ron and Hermione would stay there whenever they returned. Several other members of the Order called the place home as well. Uncle Fred called it the Ant Hill because of the way it rose in the middle. His mum had said it was more like a burrow than their old home in England, but no one had the heart to call it that. "Dinner is almost ready!" she shouted. "Come inside and wash up, all of you!"

Uncle Ron stood up and began to walk inside. "Thanks, mum!" he replied. "Let's go, everyone. It's best not to keep Grandma waiting."

oOo

It seemed that everyone in the Order had come to dinner that night. Grandma Weasley had made a large cauldron of beef stew that somehow fed everyone. Aunt Fleur had made fresh bread in the morning as her contribution, and his mum and Tonks had made pies. By the end everyone was very full. Albus leaned up against him as they listened to Uncle Ron tell a story.

"So we decided to take the mountain pass since the Death Eaters were in town," Uncle Ron said. "Looking back, it might have been easier to fight the Death Eaters because as we turned a bend we ran into five fully grown mountain trolls."

"Wow," breathed his cousin Louis.

"Well, I wouldn't say they were _all_ fully grown," interrupted Hermione. "The one looked like it still had a year left until it was _fully_ grown."

"It's practically the same thing, Hermione," groaned Uncle Ron, putting his head down on the table. It appeared as if they had had this argument several times already. His cousins giggled. "As I was saying, there were five mountain trolls. Fortunately, they didn't see us at first, so we ducked back around the corner. We were thinking about heading back when one of them caught a whiff of us hiding, so we had no choice but to fight them all. Hermione began to enlarge some of the rocks nearby them so that I could levitate them and use them like big bowling balls. We took out three of them rather quickly like that, but the last two were pretty persistent. I started hitting them with every hex I knew, but they just bounced right off their skin. Hermione, though, got in a better range and stunned the larger of the two. The other tried to charge, but I used a fire charm. It got badly singed, so it finally ran away. After that, we tied the four incapacitated ones down and passed through the mountains without any problems."

"That was awesome!" said James.

"That was completely dangerous!" disagreed Grandma Weasley. "You're lucky they didn't think of throwing those rocks back at you, Ronald."

"Sorry, mum," responded Uncle Ron. "I at least brought a friend. Hermione was brilliant out there."

"You helped me come up with a plan," argued Hermione. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. "I would have panicked if I were alone."

Uncle Fred threw a napkin at them. "Just get married already!" he shouted. Everyone at the table besides Uncle Ron and Hermione began to laugh.

"I've told you already, Fred, we're not settling down until we find Harry," stated Ron.

"We want him to be there," affirmed Hermione.

Grandma Weasley gave them a sad but understanding look. "Well, I'm sure we'll catch a glimpse of him soon enough," she replied. "Now you kids go outside and play. We're expecting company from the French Ministry soon. You all can't be around here when the meeting starts. Victoire, you're in charge until it's over."

"Yes, Grandma," said Victoire.

James groaned. It wasn't that he didn't like his cousin, but he wanted to stay for the meeting. He knew he was only twelve years old and he wouldn't be much of a help. However, it was hard being on the sidelines of the war. He felt that there must be someway that he could help.

Albus tugged on his sleeve to get him to leave. They sat down outside Shell Cottage with their cousins and the Lupin kids. A few other members of the Order arrived before finally two members of the French Auror Department walked up the front path. James thought they looked pretty cool, but not nearly as cool as his uncle.

Teddy tried to get everyone to start a game of Ground Quidditch. They couldn't use flying bludgers or a snitch, so they had to settle with each side having a player on the outside who could cast leg-binding charms and having the referee hide the 'snitch' at the beginning of the game. It was kind of a mix between rugby and capture the flag. The game ended with Victoire's team being victorious (those Lupin kids were too clumsy for any kind of Quidditch), but the meeting continued.

They all sat back down and began to speculate about what was happening. "They must be arguing about something," decided Dominique.

"They could be planning something," responded Alastor. "It takes much longer to make a plan. Plus, someone would have come outside by now to get fresh air if they weren't agreeing."

"It could be both," stated Teddy. "Ron did say that he picked up an interesting bit of intelligence over the past couple months. They're probably having trouble deciding what to do about their lead."

"That's a good point," agreed Victoire. "Who do you think came up with the plan?"

"Probably Uncle Ron," reasoned Albus. He climbed a tree next to the cottage and sat down on a branch. James could no longer see his face, but every now and then his foot would swing out from behind the low hanging leaves. "He normally doesn't like returning to attend meetings, but today he seemed ready for dinner to end before it began. Grandma is such a good cook too!"

"But Kingsley usually makes their plans," retorted Dominique. "He has the most experience, for he was an Auror."

"Maybe they're the ones disagreeing," mused Emmeline.

"No way," said James. "It's probably those guys from the French Ministry. They always want to do things by the book."

The group argued for a little while longer before taking bets on who was causing the problem. Losers would have to jump into the sea. Anxiously they waited to see who would be the first to storm out of the meeting. They were certain it would be either the Ministry representatives, Ron, or Seamus Finnegan. However, when the door banged open it appeared as if all of them would be jumping into the sea. None of them had expected it to be Professor McGonagall.

McGonagall was the only spy they had inside Hogwarts castle. For some reason, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Severus Snape, had worked out a pardon for the professors at the school. Hermione suspected that they wanted to keep the teachers around until they passed away to prevent parents from thinking that the entire staff was made up of Death Eaters. They had to swear loyalty to the school and for several years they were not allowed to travel abroad to conferences. A few years ago, though, Professor McGonagall obtained permission to attend the International Conference for Teachers of Transfiguration. She'd surprised them by coming to an Order meeting at that time. None of the other professors ever returned to the Order, but McGonagall came whenever she could. It seemed that the Death Eaters didn't suspect anything or didn't care that she might be in contact with the Order. His Grandma would always have a fit when she thought about how dangerous the whole situation was for the old woman.

Grandma Weasley followed McGonagall out, running to catch up with her. His cousins and the other children groaned, but Victoire was unrelenting. She herded the group down to the sea, away from what would obviously be an interesting conversation. James shivered as he ran out of the sea spray, his red hair plastered to his head. He would have to remember not to make a bet like this again.

As he pulled his shoes back on, he saw McGonagall apparate away. His grandma walked back to her house. That was when he saw Albus climb back down from the tree. He'd completely forgotten that his brother had been up there. James was rather sour that his brother had skipped out on his end of the bet, but then he realized that Albus had been in perfect range to hear McGongall and Grandma Weasley's discussion. He ran up the hill to where his brother was dusting himself off and pulled him around the side of the house.

"Hey!" protested Albus. "I'm going down to the sea. You don't have to drag me!"

"What were they saying?" James hissed.

"What?" asked his brother.

James clamped a hand over Albus' mouth. "You're being too loud," he whispered. "What were Grandma and McGonagall talking about?"

"Let me go!" retorted his brother. James stuck his finger in his mouth and then moved to stick it in his brother's ear. Albus struggled to get away. "Alright! You don't need to torture me to get information. All I heard was that McGonagall wouldn't stand for whatever they were planning. Grandma was worried, though, because she knew that Ron and the others wouldn't change their minds, and she didn't want McGonagall to say anything. McGonagall then promised she wouldn't say anything about it, but she wouldn't help them. That's when she left and Grandma went back inside. Happy now?"

James let his brother go and sat down on the grass. "It must be something big then," said James. "I wonder what would get her all upset like that?"

"Who knows?" inquired Albus. "Maybe they found a secret way into Hogwarts like that jerk Malfoy did."

"That's a possibility," agreed James. "I'm sure McGonagall wouldn't be happy if they were planning to invade the school. You would have thought, though, that she'd want to help get rid of the Death Eaters."

"It isn't practical for them to attack now," replied Albus. "They'd be surrounded even if they did succeed in taking the school. The Death Eaters have control over all of the United Kingdom."

The front door to Grandma Weasley's house swung open. Uncle Ron looked devastated as he sauntered out of the meeting. Everyone else seemed equally as grumpy. The representatives from the French Ministry talked heatedly with Kingsley. James craned his neck in order to try and hear what they were saying. Albus followed suit.

"I don't think it's possible," insisted Kingsley. He began to quiet down when the other kids came over the hill to talk to their parents. "In order for us to have even the smallest chance of succeeding we'll need even more people up in the air. If we had one more person, then it might be possible to make it work."  
"We cannot afford to offer anozer agent," stated the first representative. "We don't want ze Death Eaters realizing zat we 'ave aligned ourselves with ze Order."  
"You need another person?" questioned a younger voice.  
Everyone turned to look at Teddy Lupin. He was carrying Molly in a piggyback.

"Teddy," said his mother.

"Mum, I'm seventeen," argued Teddy. He set Molly down. "That's old enough to be considered an adult in our world. You said that I'd be allowed to join the Order in May, but you still won't let me go to any meetings. I've been learning magic from you and Dad my entire life, so I wouldn't be a burden. Please, Mum, let me help."

Tonks exchanged a glance with Remus. They both looked torn, but Remus sighed in defeat. "If you feel that this is what is right, then I won't stop you," responded Remus.

Teddy smiled and walked up to his parents. "Thanks Mum. Thanks Dad," he stated. He hugged both of them. "I promise that I will be careful."

"We'll all keep an eye on him," said James' dad. All the other members of the Order chimed in in agreement.

Uncle Ron began to smile again, just like he had when James first saw him today. "Then it's settled," he affirmed.

"We'll need to set up teams," remarked Hermione. "Since everyone is here, let's set up teams now. I hope you all don't mind-"

Before Hermione could continue with her apology, everyone began to file back into the house. The atmosphere became more cheerful instantly.

"Come one," Tonks said. She pushed Hermione back into the house while leading her eldest son inside with the other hand.

"If you need any help, Victoire, don't be afraid to holler," stated Remus. His eldest cousin waved at Mr. Lupin as he shut the door.

It was all terribly exciting. The children began to whisper amongst themselves as they returned to the front yard of Shell Cottage to start another game of Ground Quidditch. There was one child, however, who was not so happy. James Longbottom was very jealous. Sure, Teddy was more qualified than he to go on a mission with the Order. He really looked up to Teddy. It was like having another cousin. As the oldest child in their generation, Teddy had always been special. He had been given more freedom to practice magic and everyone had pitched in to help him master spells and become the bright young wizard he was today. James wanted that liberty.

Now Teddy was in the meeting, a place James longed to be. He wanted to fight Death Eaters and bring justice to the world. It was a childish dream, but he had always been told to believe in his ideals.

"It's not fair," he grumbled.

"You're only twelve," responded Albus. It seemed that his brother knew exactly what he was thinking about.

"But at this rate, I'll have to be thirty before they let me join the Order," groaned James. He fell back on the grass. "I don't know any magic, so I can't help. I just want to be able to help Mum, Dad, and the others."

"Mum said that she'd teach us when we were ready," recited his brother. "We just have to prove ourselves."

That was the moment in which James got a _brilliant _idea. It was a bit reckless, but once he pulled it off there was no possible way in which his mother could continue to refuse teaching him magic. "Hey Al," he said, "do you know where Mum and Dad keep extra brooms?"

Albus glared at him. James almost shivered; it was the 'Ginny Look' as his dad called it. His brother's brown eyes seemed to spew fire and acid at him. "No, James, they'd catch you before you could take off," stated his brother.

"How would you know?" James asked. "They'll be too busy. I'm only going to follow them at a safe distance. If things get too dangerous then I'll turn around and fly home. I won't even attempt to use magic unless it's for protection."

"They'll see you," retorted Albus. "It'll just make Mum mad."

"I'll need a disillusionment lotion, then," replied James. "Uncle Fred and Uncle George should have some in their workshop. They'll be too busy to realize that it's gone. I've got to try, Al. They still see me as some snot-nosed little kid who keeps tripping over his feet. I must show them that I'm old enough to learn how to protect myself."

Albus began to rock his head in his hands. "Why can I never win against you?" he inquired.

"Because I'm older and smarter," countered James. "You can't tell anyone."

"Of course I won't," said Albus. "I'm coming with you, though."

"What?!" snapped James.

"You've never been good at flying," responded Albus. "You'll crash your broom if you go by yourself."

James flushed since he knew that his brother was right. "Fine," he muttered. "Just don't cause me any problems."

**This was a much better length than the first. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed Epic!Ron. My sister has been looking forward to seeing him for quite some time. Perhaps I'll sketch a picture of him sometime. I should also address a couple other things. First off, I used the names James and Albus for Ginny's kids since they were names used in the books. However, they are not the same James and Albus that are seen in the epilogue of the last book. Just wanted to clear up any confusion. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long delay! I won't bore you with a long author's note but cut straight to the chapter. Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Chapter Three:**

**The Aerial Chase**

The volunteers for the Order emerged from the metallic mounds that made up Grandma and Grandpa Weasley's home before the sun rose. James and Albus had awoken long before that in order to prepare themselves. Their parents had explained last night as they'd tucked them in that they'd be going with Uncle Ron and the others the next day. That was all the better for their plan, for Auntie Fleur probably wouldn't notice they were gone until midmorning.

Albus looked over their supplies: an old Nimbus 2001 that Uncle Ron had swiped from a Death Eater, the Disillusionment Lotion from Uncles Fred and George, a compass, a few dungbombs and firecrackers, and a half loaf of bread they'd swiped from the kitchen. Satisfied with their provisions he hopped up from his spot on the floor and joined his brother by the window.

In the dim light of the pre sunrise hours Albus could barely make out his parents standing close to Uncle Ron and Hermione. From what he could tell the large group of volunteers was dividing itself into pairs, probably so they could cover more distance. He asked his brother just how far out he thought the Order might be planning to go, but the older boy either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him as he watched the volunteers. Finally the group stopped shuffling around and Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forward from his position next to Teddy Lupin. Albus couldn't make out what they were saying from their position, but he would have hazarded a guess that he was going over the day's plan.

James broke out of whatever reverie he'd been in and grabbed the Disillusionment Lotion. "Come on, Al! We've got to get going now!" he hissed. Albus grabbed the rest of their stuff (Jamie had forgotten... Albus wasn't surprised) and followed his brother down the stairs, hopping over the two squeaky ones at the bottom. The last thing they needed was to wake their cousins. Luckily they made it outside without incident. It was still very warm out at this time although the darkness and the sea breeze relieved some of the stifling heat of late August. James appeared to be halfway gone, having already begun applying the lotion liberally.

"Leave some for me!" whispered Albus angrily. He wasn't going to let his brother leave him out just because he'd used up all the lotion. Thankfully Jamie stopped and handed him the bottle, and like his brother he quickly applied the lotion to himself. There was even some left to apply to the broom and the bag that held their other provisions.

"Let's go," stated James as soon as Albus finished his preparations. Albus took a couple steps forward and felt his brother walk right into him. They fell to the ground in a heap.

"Oi!" he snapped, rubbing his forehead. "Watch it! Try to remember that I'm here, you great oaf. I'm disillusioned, not invisible!"

"Sorry," muttered his brother. "Won't happen again."

By the time they cleared the hill separating Shell Cottage and Grandma Weasley's house the volunteers had mounted their brooms. The two edged their way past Auntie Fleur saying an emotional goodbye to Uncle Bill and crouched in the bushes in front of the house.

"Let's follow Uncle Ron," said Jamie enthusiastically.

Albus rolled his eyes. He'd figured that his older brother would say that. "No, that's much too risky," he retorted.

"Well, who do you suggest? Mum and Dad?" mocked his older brother.

Albus scowled at James. His brother could really be a prick when he didn't get his way. "I was actually going to suggest Teddy and Kingsley," he replied, trying his best to remain civil. "Kingsley will be too busy looking after Teddy, and Teddy isn't as observant as the rest of the adults. Plus, we'll be pretty safe with Kingsley around should anything bad happen."

Jamie pondered this thought for a moment. "I suppose you're right," he agreed. Well, that was a first. "Now let's get up in the air."

Albus mounted the broom first and waited for his brother to slide on behind him. After counting to three they both kicked off and began to hover in the air. At least that part had gone right. He'd flown with his brother before and normally it took at least two tries to get off of the ground. As they ascended higher into the air he felt Jamie tighten his grip around his waist.

"Watch it, or you'll squeeze my breath right out of me and we'll crash," grumbled Albus.

"S-sorry," apologized his brother nervously. He'd forgotten how big of a wuss his brother was about heights. Albus just couldn't understand it. He loved flying and nicked a broom to practice whenever his family wasn't looking. If magic meant freedom for James, then flying was the equivalent for him. Someday he'd get his mum to teach him all the cool tricks she knew from her days as a Quidditch player at Hogwarts.

Albus shook his head to break out of his dreams. He needed to focus. Once he was a safe distance above the group of volunteers he waited for them to take off. Uncle Ron and Hermione led the way followed by the two French wizards from last night's meeting. As soon as Teddy and Kingsley passed took off Albus flew off in hot pursuit lagging about seven meters behind them.

They flew a path northwest over Shell Cottage towards the Atlantic Ocean. For several hours they continued in this direction as the sun rose behind them, making the distant waves below glisten. Jamie loosened his grip a little bit over time and seemed to actually start enjoying the ride if his lack of hissed complaints meant anything. After a while Kingsley started to lead them in a path curving northeast. Albus had to lift a hand from the broom handle every so often to shield his eyes in order to ascertain the position of Teddy and Kingsley. The morning was rather clear with only a few large cotton-like clouds hanging around them in the sky. It was so relaxing that he almost missed the conversation that had started up between the two Order members.

"How much further?" inquired Teddy. His spiky sky-blue with white stripes hair whipped around in the breeze as he turned his head to the ex-Auror.

"Only around another hour," responded Kingsley in his deep voice. "We can stop and contact the others as soon as we can see land."

"Alright," said Teddy. He bit his lip before continuing. "Are we likely to see anything?"

"I highly doubt it," answered the ex-Auror immediately. "Death Eaters usually don't patrol far out on the western shore. The American and Canadian Ministries extended their patrol boundaries over most of the North Atlantic after the British Ministry fell. The Death Eaters didn't have the power to fight it, so they tend to stick to the shore. Plus, I can't imagine the target coming from the west."

"It would be quite out of the way, flying all the way around like we did just to reach Scotland," agreed Teddy.

So they were going close to the border of Scotland. He could feel his brother shaking with excitement. Today they would see their homeland, the United Kingdom, for the first time. Albus could feel a smile come to his own face. He would not deny that the thought excited him, too. Even though he wasn't as adamant as Jamie, he really wished the war would be over so that he could go to Hogwarts. He didn't idealize the place like his brother did, but still the thoughts of that school made his imagination run wild.

Like Kingsley had said he could see land after an hour. He slowed his broom to a stop just far enough away that he'd be able to hear the two Order members without being detected. And then they waited. Kingsley and Teddy made small talk here and there, but between those moments it was just plain silence. It wasn't so bad at first, but after two hours of waiting in near silence he was ready to turn around and go back home. Jamie wasn't helping matters much since he kept tapping his back with his right index finger. If this was what the Order did on a regular basis, then Albus really couldn't understand what their purpose even was. Sure, they'd mentioned some sort of a target, but both adults had agreed that said target probably wouldn't come their way.

Albus drifted a bit closer so that he could hear what Kingsley was saying to the other Order members via enchanted mirror. It was an idea Remus had introduced to the Order, having seen it implemented successfully during his school days by Sirius Black and Harry Potter's father James, one of his brother's namesakes. James was proud of the name, but felt he'd ended up with the short end of the stick with two somewhat normal names, James Frank, while Al had two 'awesome' names, Albus for the former head of the Order and Hogwarts and Sirius for Order hero Sirius Black. He felt honored to have the two names, but to any Muggles his names would certainly sound ridiculous. At least Jamie could blend in with Muggle peers their age.

"Hermione and I haven't seen anything along the northeast shore yet," stated Uncle Ron via Kingsley's mirror. "Fred and George haven't seen any activity from the far north either. How about you and Teddy, Kingsley?"

"It has been quiet here Ron," replied the ex-Auror. "According to the report I got from your brother Charlie there hasn't been any sightings along the southern border either."

"Well, we'll have to keep waiting," decided Uncle Ron. He seemed very determined.

"Have you thought that maybe our source had the date wrong?" questioned Kingsley tentatively. "We've been out here waiting for two and a half hours already. If we wait much longer we run the risk of being detected by the Death Eaters."

"We can't go back now," responded Hermione. "We're only going to have this one shot. There are no second chances with this."

"Just give it another hour, Kingsley," pleaded Uncle Ron. "If we don't see anything by then we'll assume that our source is wrong and regroup at headquarters. I'm just as worried as you are, but this is the first chance in years we've had to gain any ground. If the plan is a success then we'll all be better off."

Better off? Perhaps they were after funds going out to Death Eater enclaves outside the UK or some kind of weapon. Getting those would definitely damage to the Death Eater's cause and boost morale at home. Albus felt they'd discovered just about everything they could, so he reached into the bag to retrieve the compass.

"What are you doing?" mumbled James, leaning in to get a better look.

"Getting ready to fly home," responded Albus as he started turning the broom around. "Nothing is going to happen here, and we know pretty much all that we will about their operation."

"No! We can't just go home now!" whined his brother just a bit too loudly.

Albus threw a hand over his brother's mouth, but Teddy still turned to look in their general direction. Albus felt his breath catch in his throat as the boy flew slowly closer and closer to their position. Before he reached them, though, something else caught his eye.

He veered to the right, missing them by centimeters. Teddy squinted up his eyes and then called out to Kingsley. "Kingsley, what is that?"

The ex-Auror stopped chatting with Uncle Ron and Hermione to look at whatever Teddy had seen. He took out a pair of omnoculers from his robes to take a second look and then finally spoke into the mirror. "Ron, Hermione, target is approaching from the west."

"The target?" questioned Hermione anxiously. "Are you certain?"

"Affirmative," replied Kingsley. "Let the others know. Teddy and I will attempt to steer the target away from the shore."

"We'll send Fred and George your way right now," stated Ron.

Teddy and Kingsley zoomed past them. All Albus could see was a black dot in the distance. Now he really wished he'd thought to pack a pair of omnoculers. From this distance they wouldn't be able to tell anything.

James hands moved to his shoulders and held them in a tight grip. "We should move closer!" he exclaimed. "I want to see what they're doing!"

"We'll just get in the way," countered Albus. He tried to loosen Jamie's grip a bit but was unsuccessful. "I'm sure we'll see this 'target' when we get home. Now let's go."

The target, though, seemed to have other ideas. Before he could register what was occurring he saw the tiny black dot become a steadily growing black blur. It was a good thing James was holding him tightly, for Albus had to plunge into a dive in order to avoid the target. Even in this distracted, chaotic state he could ascertain two things: first off the target was very fast and second the target was a who, not a what. He didn't catch a good glimpse but he could still tell it was a person flying on a broom that passed them. The two blurs of Kingsley and Teddy took off in pursuit, which left James and Albus by themselves for the first time that morning.

Now Albus would have been fine with just leaving Kingsley and Teddy to chase down the person, but his brother seemed to have other plans. "Let's go after them!" exclaimed Jamie. His eyes were alight with mischief.

"Whatever for?" retorted Albus. He once again coaxed the broom towards the ocean. "I said we're going home."

"But-" argued James as he inched further up the broom.

He interrupted his older brother before he could go on further. "No. We are not playing this game, James. Like I said earlier you can wait until we get home to find out more, so let 's go!"

What happened next so surprised Albus that it took several minutes for him to register what exactly occurred. James leaned forward, pushing Albus' arms out of the way. This caused the broom to also pitch forward rapidly in pursuit of the chase. Albus wrapped his arms around the broom in order to remain on it. It appeared that his brother had no regard for their own personal safety.

James appeared to be trying to lead their broom in a path to follow Teddy. Kingsley was already far ahead slowly closing the gap between himself and the target. Albus finally regained control of the broom and was about to turn around. Right as he was doing so, though, he saw several more dots coming towards them. Two of them flying close together he was certain were Uncle Fred and Uncle George. The others...

"Death Eaters," breathed Albus. He could feel the blood drain from his face. Jamie gripped onto him tightly from behind.

"Fly!" he whispered.

"Where?" asked Albus. There were people coming from every direction. The only way somewhat open was further in towards the mainland along the path Kingsley and Teddy were following.

"Just keep going!" hissed James.

Taking his brother's advice he flew off after Teddy and Kingsley again. Apparently the target was a very good flier, for whenever Kingsley or Teddy drew near the target would either dive straight towards the ground or soar upward with remarkable speed. Albus would have hazarded to guess that the target had played Quidditch at one point. If the Order wanted to catch their target, then they were going to need someone with comparable skills. Kingsley did have a certain advantage, however. He was trained to fight in situations like this.

The ex-Auror began throwing stunners at both the target and the enclosing Death Eaters, knocking several of the latter out of the sky. If there hadn't been so many Death Eaters Kingsley easily would have had the upper hand. However, with the situation standing he was a bit overwhelmed.

"Teddy," shouted the ex-Auror over the wind and the curses being thrown by the Death Eaters. Albus had drawn their broom closer to the two Order members, hoping that maybe they could pass ahead of them and form some kind of an escape from the gathering aerial battle. "Keep going! Fred, George, and I will try to keep as many Death Eaters as busy as we can! Try to keep the target on a straight path. Ron and Hermione are going to fly in from the other direction to help you."

Teddy nodded and flew off in pursuit of the target again. Considering how many Death Eaters were behind them Albus felt it best to continue following him. He could feel James twist a bit behind him to get a look at the battle but then turn back and hold him tighter. Albus rolled his eyes. His brother had taken after their dad's side of the family in regards to flying.

The target had turned their broom north now and was flying swiftly inland. Albus watched as the countryside beneath them turned from neat, agricultural fields into barren moorlands and finally into the wilderness. Tall mountains sprung up beneath them, sometimes interrupted by forests of birch, ash, and alder trees. Teddy kept trying to steer the direction of the chase further east, but the target would speed up to keep him from heading them off. It appeared, though, that the target wasn't bothered by Teddy following behind. Albus had yet to see the target turn to look at Teddy. It made for a more peaceful interval in the chase. Several times Albus thought about turning around and heading home, but at this point he didn't want to risk running into any more Death Eaters. They probably wouldn't be too far away from them. He was honestly beginning to wonder what was so important about this target anyways.

The peaceful interval came crashing to an end after a brief hour. Jamie tapped Albus on the shoulder, causing him to look behind them. Sure enough, a couple of Death Eaters were closing in on their current location rapidly. Albus was willing to bet they'd broken away from the fight they'd left behind. The Death Eaters began launching spells at Teddy who in turn began to fire back. It was giving the target a considerable lead, but Albus could care less. Teddy would not be able to hold out if more Death Eaters came along, and from the tales his uncles told him Albus knew that there would be more coming. Perhaps this was what made his brother angry in regards to magic; he felt pretty helpless without it. If he had a wand then he could help Teddy. All he had, though, were a couple dungbombs and some firecrackers.

He heard James whisper into his ear again. "There are more coming! What do we do?"

It was risky, but Al knew they couldn't just let Teddy fend for himself. "Get out the dungbombs. When they get closer we'll set them off."

He felt James unzip the small rucksack on his back and begin pulling out the requested items. Albus took one of the dungbombs in his hands and found a spot out of the way of the approaching Death Eaters, yet close enough to be in throwing range. Jamie had chosen the largest of the dungbombs, of course, and sat with one arm poised for action while the other was holding tightly onto Albus' shoulder. They were ready for action.

Their help, however, was soon unnecessary. Before any of the approaching Death Eaters could cast a spell more Order members appeared. Uncles Bill and Charlie swooped low over their unseen position while Dean Thomas and Lee Jordan took the new group on directly from the front. Even Teddy's parents flew in to help their son with the two he was currently dueling. Albus had to start flying forward again to avoid being hit by any of the combatants. In fact it seemed like the only safe place to be was closer to the target, who had slowed their speed, probably because they were a good distance from any other wizard.

It was a false sense of security, though, for Uncle Ron came out of what appeared to be nowhere and began the chase again. Hermione wasn't far behind, but she branched away to join the larger battle, causing several Death Eaters to fall off their brooms with a few waves of her wand. The target seemed to have a harder time trying to get Uncle Ron off of their tail. They flew in a loop, dived almost vertically to the ground, and then flew back up again all in a rapid succession, but Uncle Ron still followed close behind. At that point they finally began to duel.

It was pretty awesome looking. Jamie gave an audible gasp behind them. Some of the spells were ones Albus recognized like the Confundus Charm, basic stunners, and a charm that summoned a flock of birds that the target shot at Uncle Ron. He'd seen his cousin Victoire use this one several times against her younger siblings whenever she was in an especially foul mood. Uncle Ron was able to dismiss them with a wave of his wand, and started on a volley of more complex spells. Albus didn't recognize any of these ones, so he just paid attention to the movements both duelists made, although it was easy to see that the target was relying more on their flying skills than their wand. Perhaps Uncle Ron would actually pull off whatever plan this was and catch this target.

The target finally made a mad dash downward about ten meters ahead of their current position. Uncle Ron followed right after them, still flinging spells after the target. Another person flew by them. Albus couldn't help but give a little cheer with his brother upon realizing that it was Kingsley Shacklebolt. The ex-Auror must have finished with the two Death Eaters from before and now sought to finish the chase. It truly was a thrilling thing to witness.

Albus and his brother, though, wouldn't learn the conclusion for some time to come. Perhaps if they had been paying more attention to the mass duel behind them they would have seen how far it had spread out. Maybe if they'd known more about wizard duels they would have known how far a stray spell could fly. But Albus didn't know this until it was too late. He felt something hit them from behind, and the last thing he noticed was how the world around them had turned a bright shade of red.

When he awoke he sat up spluttering, his entire body drenched. Jamie wasn't doing much better, coughing and clutching his head as droplets fell from the curled ends of his red hair. Even though his own head was spinning, Albus looked up to glare at the source of the water that had pulled him out of his previously unconscious state. That source, however, was also staring back at him through a pair of dark blue eyes. A girl with blonde hair, who appeared to be around his and James' ages, dropped a bucket which she'd used to throw the water and ran to a nearby open doorway. "Mr. Dumbledore! Two boys just fell out of the sky!" she exclaimed.

Albus was going to have to talk to Uncles Fred and George later about making their lotion waterproof.

**And now our young heroes find themselves in a very precarious situation. What will happen to them now? Please review! Next chapter should be up some time in the next week!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. Now onward with the story!**

**Chapter Four: **

**Consequences**

Once the girl had mentioned the name Dumbledore both James and he looked towards the hut. They'd heard all about the late Headmaster of Hogwarts, but they knew very little about his younger brother besides the fact that he existed. Albus recalled hearing some of the adults in the Order worrying over the old man, although others called Aberforth Dumbledore a fool for remaining in the United Kingdom after the flight of the Order.

An old, gruff-looking man emerged from the stone cottage. So this man was Aberforth Dumbledore. He didn't look a lot like the pictures he'd seen of his namesake, but the old man did have the same blue eyes as the late Headmaster. Upon seeing the two boys sitting in a pile of hay Mr. Dumbledore raised his busy eyebrows. It would have been funny, except that the man looked terrified. "Josie, get them inside," he hissed. "Now!"

The little girl ran back to Albus and his brother and tried to pull them onto their feet. However, she must not have been very strong because she couldn't even lift him off the ground. "Come on!" she said. "Get up!"

Jamie and he sat there staring at the somewhat pathetic display. Mr. Dumbledore, though, seemed to have had enough of it, for he marched over to the two brothers and picked them both up by the scruffs of their necks.

"Hey!" shouted Jamie.

"Ow! Ow!" whined Albus. Despite his age Mr. Dumbledore could certainly push them around.

"Shut up," seethed the old man. The little girl held the door open for them as Aberforth Dumbledore shoved them inside. He proceeded to drop them unceremoniously onto the floor, shut the door, and padlock it several times. Finally he turned to the two of them. "What the hell do you two think you are doing?" he hollered. "You're just as bad as the rest of your family."

"You know us?" asked Jamie. Albus was just as surprised as his older brother.

"Anyone could take one look at you both and tell that you're Weasleys!" Mr. Dumbledore snapped.

"Actually we're Longbottoms," interrupted Albus. He'd always been proud to call himself a Longbottom. It was something that distinguished him and his brother from all the rest of their red-headed cousins. "Mum was a Weasley, though."

"I don't care," retorted the old man. Their mum hadn't been kidding when she'd said that Aberforth Dumbledore was very brash. Mr. Dumbledore began to pace back and forth. "It doesn't matter what you last name is or how you're related to the Weasleys. As long as you look like one everyone will call you that. Now tell me how you fell into my goat pen."

Jamie told him an abridged version of their adventures- he was rather generous with the terms borrowed and followed for curiosity's sake- to which the old man frowned, but the little girl looked on with eyes full of wonder.

"So I guess we must have been hit by a stray spell," finished Jamie. "And that's all that happened. We've got to go now, but it was nice meeting you both."

"You can't just go like that!" exclaimed the little girl, her blue eyes now wide with fright.

"But our mum and dad are waiting for us," replied Albus. He smiled at the girl. "We have to go."

Mr. Dumbledore opened one of the shutters slightly and pointed outside. "Do you see what's happening out there?" he inquired.

Jamie and Albus walked over to the window and peaked outside. He immediately felt his stomach tie in knots. The street outside was full of Death Eaters marching from door to door and searching yards. "They're everywhere!" he heard his brother proclaim.

"And they won't be leaving any time soon thanks to the Order," grumbled Aberforth. He closed the shutters once more. "It would be suicide going out there.

"Then how do we get home?" questioned Albus frantically. This had not been part of the plan. He ran a hand through his messy red hair.

"You don't," answered Mr. Dumbledore simply. "There's no way out of here now, so you two will have to adjust to it unless you want to get caught."

Albus felt his world slip out from under his feet. He'd never see his family again. Never again would he walk along the beach outside of Uncle Bill's cottage or play in the ocean waves. He should have told Jamie no to this disastrous scheme from the very beginning. Glaring at his brother Albus said, "This is entirely you fault."

"My fault?!" responded Jamie. He crossed his arms and glared back. "I didn't lose control of the broom!"

"Because you can't even control one in the first place!" spat Albus. "Now look at what your fantasies have done now, Jamie! Do you feel like a hero now? Do you think that Mum and Dad would be proud of you?"

He saw that that last part had hurt his brother a lot, for angry tears began to form in Jamie's eyes. Albus didn't care, though. For once it felt good just to let his brother have it. He had not expected, however, that his brother would be angry enough to start a fight.

Jamie lunged at him, causing Albus to fall back on the floor. He began kicking at his brother to force him away, but Jamie continued barraging him with punched and scratches. Since that strategy failed, Albus resorted to an old tactic of his: he grabbed his brother's arm and bit him.

Jamie howled in pain, pulling his arm back. He used his other arm to catch Albus in a head lock. Albus struggled, trying to get away from his brother, but Jamie's grip remained firm. "Don't try to make this only about me!" yelled his brother. "It's your fault, too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is _not_!"

"IS TOO!"

Soon it was not only them but also Mr. Dumbledore yelling ("Be quiet you idiots!") while trying to separate the two brawling brothers. They all stopped as a sharp whistle sounded in the room. The little girl- whatever her name had been- stood on a chair, her forefinger and thumb in her mouth.

"Well, if you're all done wasting your energies," she said haughtily, her hands on her hips, "I think that _I_ might have a solution."

Jamie and Albus scowled at each other but sat back down. Aberforth Dumbledore peeked through the shutters again. "Hurry up, then," he stated. "I'm sure someone noticed this squabble."

"Thank you," she acknowledged them. "What I am thinking is that they could leave the country with Ana. She just arrived today, but she should be returning to her teacher's house a week from now."

"Who'd Ana?" muttered Jamie while nursing a bleeding lip.

"Do you really think that she'd help them?" asked Mr. Dumbledore warily.

"She's perfectly friendly, Mr. Dumbledore," replied the little girl with a laugh. It was a very nice laugh, the kind that sounded like the jingling of bells. "I know you don't trust her, but you don't know her very well. I do, and I can say that she'll take them along when she leaves."

"But they'll have to go up to the school," argued Aberforth, jerking a thumb at Albus and his brother. He could already see Jamie's eyes light up in excitement. His brother really didn't know when to give it a rest when it came to his passions.

"I'll take them through the secret passageway and they can stay in the room there," responded the little girl. She hopped down from the stool. "No one besides Ana and I have used it since the Rebels left the UK. They won't think twice about checking it."

Mr. Dumbledore looked at her and at the two brothers long and hard under his bushy eyebrows. He finally sighed and gave a shrug. "I suppose it is their best bet of getting out of the country alive," he admitted. "It's up to them to decide if they want to risk it."

The little girl looked at them expectantly. "Well?" she inquired.

Jamie stood up. "I'm in!" he exclaimed.

"It's better than just staying here forever," agreed Albus. He pushed himself off of the floor. "Let's go."

Mr. Dumbledore looked at a portrait hanging over the mantelpiece. "You heard them," he said. "Lead them up to the school."

The girl in the portrait smiled and began walking further back into her frame, her auburn hair swinging behind her. She almost appeared to disappear into the scenery as she continued along her way. To Albus' amazement the portrait swung open to reveal a tunnel once the girl disappeared completely from view.

The little girl climbed onto a table and then pushed herself onto the mantel piece. "Come on!" she called to them. She climbed inside, and Albus saw her yellow hair disappear into the darkness of the tunnel. Jamie followed right after her. Albus was having a little trouble reaching the mantel piece- both he and his brother had been cursed with short genes from their mum's side of the family- but he felt a hand help him up. Jamie looked away bashfully as he pulled his brother inside.

"Sorry about all of this," he apologized. His ears turned a bright shade of red.

Now Albus felt bad. There was no satisfaction in being mad at someone when they expressed remorse. "Don't mention it," he mumbled. "I was being stupid, too."

"Stop standing there and get going!" demanded Aberforth Dumbledore. "I don't need Death Eaters coming in here and seeing the two of you now. They'll be here any minute, so leave quickly!"

"Sorry!" they both called back. Jamie nodded at him and then ran off after the little girl.

Albus turned back for a moment before doing the same. "Mr. Dumbledore?" he asked.

"What now?" griped the old man.

"Thanks for helping us," responded Albus. He gave the old man a little wave before turning back around and running after his brother. The portrait door swung close behind him, enveloping the tunnel in complete darkness.

oOo

"So where in the school does this passage lead to?" Albus inquired. He had to run to catch up with his brother and the little girl. The mention of them taking even a few steps inside Hogwarts seemed to have lit a fire in his older brother's soul, making him to walk much faster than usual. "You mentioned a room abandoned by some rebels."

The blonde girl looked back at them. "It's a room that only appears if you know what you're looking for," she replied. "I found it one day when I was looking for somewhere to hide from Alecto Carrow. She's a nasty woman, probably the meanest one I know. She's a Death Eater, so don't go looking for her."

"Yeah, our parents have mentioned Alecto Carrow," said James. "Doesn't she have a brother?"

"She does," affirmed the girl. "Amycus Carrow. Apparently something happened at the end of his first year teaching here. All I know is that it involved attempting to banish the resident poltergeist, Peeves, but he did something wrong. Some people say he saw into the afterlife and what waited him there, but most people think that's rubbish. All that matter is that he fell into a coma for seven years and then died."

"That sounds absurd," commented Albus. Amycus Carrow hadn't seemed weak-of-spirit in any of his parents' stories. "Wasn't he a Death Eater, too?"

The little girl stopped to look back at them. "There are some things that even Death Eaters are afraid of," she responded. "I suppose it must have been something pretty terrible."

They walked along in silence after that, the passage still sloping slightly upward. The darkness pressed in around them, making Albus rather uncomfortable. He reached out a hand to touch the closest wall. His older brother finally felt the need to break the silence. "So we're just to stay in the Room of Requirements, right?" asked Jamie.

"The Room of Requirements" inquired the girl. Albus could just make out her eyes widening in the darkness. "Is that what this room is called?"

Albus thought back on how the girl had described the room. He hadn't heard her mention it by any specific name, but now that he thought about it he felt rather silly. Normally he noticed these kinds of things way before Jamie. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed. "Mum and Dad have mentioned the Room of Requirement before. And those rebels you mentioned must be the D.A."

"Do you know the rebels?" questioned the girl, her dark blue eyes becoming wider if at all possible.

"Well, we live with a lot of them on a daily basis," stated James nonchalantly. And now his brother was now trying to show off. It was so typical of him. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Wow," breathed the girl. "So they did escape. From all anyone here knew they just disappeared. I thought the Order might have just given up and settled outside of England."

"That's pretty much what happened," stated Albus. "Of course it wasn't so much them-"

"They didn't just give up!" argued James indignantly. Of course this comment would be the one thing that would make his brother hot-blooded. It was almost as if they'd switched personalities for a little bit. Perhaps they'd obtained a little more damage than they'd thought when they'd fallen off their broom. "They've got plans! That's why they were out there today!"

"Sorry," pouted Josie. She cast her eyes downwards. "I didn't mean to offend you. I really just didn't know. It's not like the Death Eaters are actively advocating for your side of the war."

Once again they stopped talking, choosing to walk along in an uncomfortable silence. James seemed to be silently fuming while the girl looked extremely embarrassed. Albus felt rather bad about this. It wasn't as if she'd known how sensitive his brother was about the Order. He wracked his brain trying to think of something to say to get all of them off this awkward footing. "So… Mr. Dumbledore called you 'Josie' earlier," he began. "Is that your name?"

The girl's mood brightened considerably, and she smiled at him. It was a very nice smile. "That's right," replied the girl. "It's short for Josephine. Josephine Elizabeth Saulsbury. That's a mouthful, though, so you can call me Josie just like everyone else."

"Right," said Albus. A glance back told him that Jamie still wasn't opening up. "That brooding one is my older brother Jamie. I'm Albus."

Josie gasped. "Like Mr. Dumbledore's brother?"

"Y-yes," stammered Albus. Jamie glowered at him, now angry about his 'boring name.' Well, wasn't this just great. "Jamie is named after Harry Potter's dad. Harry was a friend of our family."

She looked back at James, her mouth hanging open like a codfish. "That's so cool!" she exclaimed. "You both are so lucky! I wish I had a cool name like that."

This comment cheered his brother up quickly, just as Albus had expected. "So how close are we to the school?" asked Jamie.

"We're nearly there now," answered Josie. "Just a few more meters…"

In no time they were facing an ancient looking wooden door. Josie opened it a crack to peek inside. "Empty as always."

She swung the door open wide and walked inside. The Room of Requirement was a massive stone hall decorated only with a small painting on one wall next to a large wooden door and three banners on another wall: one red, one yellow, and one blue. He knew the emblems on the banners too well.

"Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw," mumble Jamie. His brother probably would have tripped over the door frame if Albus hadn't reached out to stop him from blindly walking inside. "Where are the hammocks?"

Josie had gone ahead of them into the room and now stood on a wooden platform that served as some kind of foyer to the outside world. "Hammocks?" she questioned. "Oh, they must have vanished after the rebels left. The Room only provides things that you ask for. Since there was no one here asking for hammocks the Room didn't make any. You guys might want them since you'll be staying here for a little while."

Josie climbed down a ladder to the ground, Albus following right after her. "What do we do now?" asked Al.

"Wait here," stated Josie authoritatively. "I'm going to find Ana. It may take a little while, so don't get anxious."

Albus looked at his brother, who rolled his eyes. "We're not going anywhere," said James. "It's not like we could without getting caught anyways."

"Okay," replied Josie. "Don't do anything stupid.

"We won't," Jamie and Al groaned in unison. She seemed to be more than a little high strung. Maybe this was what Hermione was like in her first year if Uncles Fred and George's stories were anything to go by.

She walked over to the other door. Josie reached out to open it, but surprisingly the door opened itself. Albus jumped in his spot and saw his brother turn pale as a sheet. Josie shrieked and staggered backwards due to the shock. However, no Death Eaters came into the room.

In walked- well, rather stormed- a teenage girl with brown curly hair spiraling down most of her back. It looked a little singed at the edges. The rest of the girl didn't look much better. Several holes in her black dress, not to mention the many scrapes and bruises on her face and arms spoke of some sort of fight. These marks seemed to pale in comparison with the bloodied bandage on her knee. The wounds, however, didn't seem to bother her for she kicked the door close with surprising force. It caused the small painting on the adjacent wall to fall off. Without thinking Albus picked it up and clutched it for dear life.

"Ana!" cried out Josie, a bit of color coming back to her face. "What happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Josie," spat the older girl, glaring daggers at Josie. "Just get out of here."

"But-" protested Josie.

"Get out!" yelled Ana. If this first impression was supposed to be a good one, then Albus was ready to swim back to France. Jamie seemed to have the same thoughts and started moving towards the ladder.

Josie's eyes began to well up with tears. "No!" she shouted back at the older girl. "You're going to listen to me, Ana!"

"Why should I?" challenged the brunette. "You could just go off down that secret passage of yours and bother Mr. Dumbledore or some other person who might bloody give a-"

At that moment Jamie knocked into the ladder, causing it to clatter to the floor. Both girls stopped shouting and looked in Albus and Jamie's direction. His older brother chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. Albus hid his blushing face behind the portrait so that the girls wouldn't pay him any mind.

"Nice going," grumbled Al.

Ana turned her icy blue eyes back to Josie. "Who are they?" she questioned accusingly.

"The one who knocked over the ladder is Jamie, and the other one is Albus," explained Josie. "As I was going to say earlier they need your help!"

"Why?" inquired the girl. "You didn't turn Aberforth Dumbledore's goats into people now, did you?"

"No!" blurted Josie. She seemed extremely flustered now. "They fell into Mr. Dumbledore's goat pen-"

"Might as well be goats," drawled Ana. She stretched her arms over her head and started walking back to the door. "This is a waste of my time…"

"Please listen!" begged Josie. "They're from the continent!"

"The continent?" asked Ana. She turned back suddenly interested. "What are they doing here then?"

"They were out flying and fell into the goat pen!" exclaimed Josie. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If you would stop interrupting me, then it would have been clear in the first place!"

"Alright, alright. Cool your cauldron," stated Ana. Josie turned away from her. "Merlin! There's no need to get your wand all tied up in a knot. What do you want me to do about it anyways?"

"Well, they won't be able to get out of here even if they were invisible again," said Josie. "So I was wondering if you could please take them back to the continent when leave next week."

"What?" questioned the older girl. She looked over at his brother and him skeptically. "I'd have to change them into newts or something. Weasleys aren't exactly inconspicuous."

"How does everyone know that we're Weasleys?!" cried out Jamie.

"You aren't turning me into a newt!" retorted Albus, holding the painting in front of him as a shield. It wasn't a bad choice, for the painting appeared to be one of some kind of armored castle, if it really could be called a castle. Albus wanted to look at it more, but told himself not to give into his eleven-year-old inquisitive mind and focus on the problem before him.

"A cat then," remarked Ana with a lazy wave of her hand. "Besides, I can't take them."

Josie's face went from angry to sad to very surprised in a matter of seconds. "Why not?" she asked.

"Because that would require me to leave Hogwarts," replied Ana. The older girl's eyes seemed to glare angrily at nothing in particular. "And this year I am not going."

Albus looked nervously at his older brother. If this Ana girl wasn't leaving the country, then how were they supposed to get home?

Josie appeared torn between immense disappointment and elation. "You aren't going back to Mr. Salem's house?" she questioned in a rush. "That's wonderful! I mean, that isn't. We can do so much together this year! You haven't been home this long ever! But how will Albus and Jamie get home?"

Ana rolled her eyes at the younger girl. "Calm down."

Josie then became rather contemplative. "But why?" she inquired. "Why are you staying this year?"

"Well, with the spectacular show that the Order of the Phoenix put on this morning, Professor Snape has determined that it is too dangerous to fly a long distance," elaborated Ana. "There are a couple other forces acting behind this too, like the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic, not to mention other facts. But mainly since the Order is on the move again there's a blanket order preventing wizards and witches from travelling to the continent. Thus, I am to remain here and enroll for the year just like the usual rabble."

The younger girl shook her head at Ana. "Very dramatic," she ticked. "That still doesn't answer my question about Albus and James."

Ana looked at them silently for a long time. Both of Albus and his brother shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze. At least in his opinion, Albus thought there was something very familiar about those icy blue eyes and the lazy mannerisms of the older girl. "I suppose they _could_ become part of the rabble…" trailed Ana.

It took a moment for the words to sink in. "Are you saying we should enroll in the school?" asked Albus slowly. His brother began shaking next to him, whether it was because of nerves or excitement he wasn't sure. Still, it was never a good sign.

"You can't get out of here without setting off a caterwauling charm," defended Ana. She shrugged. "And right now I'm all out of other ideas. It will give us some time to figure out how to get you at least out of the immediate vicinity."

"We're going to Hogwarts," muttered Jamie, his legs still twitching. "We're going to Hogwarts, and we're going to learn magic."

Merlin, they really were in trouble now was all that Albus could think. He had to admit, it would be cool to learn magic and see one of the places where his parents grew up. It seemed really risky, though. Josie seemed to agree with his thoughts.

"Isn't it safer for them to stay in here?" argued Josie. "They'll be recognized as outsiders if they set one toe out of this room!"

It was a very good point. They'd been called Weasleys twice by strangers today. Jamie and he would stick out like sore thumbs.

"Someone could try to access this room and see them," retorted Ana. "I know you think it's 'really safe', but it isn't. I proved it by walking in here earlier. Plus, the house elves like to use some of the other forms of this room, and they can't get in here if those two are. Also, they like to wander off and get in trouble."

"We do not!" shouted Albus, his ears turning red.

"Then why are you here right now?" asked Ana. She raised an eyebrow at him, but all he could do was turn redder in the face. "I thought as much. Now as for them being too recognizable, I can fix that…"

At that statement, Albus really wanted to climb back up into the tunnel and find Mr. Dumbledore. Anything seemed better than trusting the brunette witch with the smirk on her face and mischievous glint in her eyes. He knew, though, that they didn't have a choice.

**I felt it was best to address some questions here. First, I must apologize about a big error I made at the beginning of the story. Shell Cottage is in Cornwall. The Polka-Dotted Sock and I were convinced it was in France. Thanks for correcting us! I will go back and fix that detail later, but just for the record Jamie and Al live in France, just not in Shell Cottage. Second, Alastor is the youngest son of Lupin and Tonks in this universe. Now that the main characters are in the UK the story should pick up pace, so the Howl's Moving Castle aspect of the story will start weaving in.**


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